The Opelousas courier., 1887-11-26

The troops from New Orleans were received
at the depot by a large number OF the prom
| inent citizens Of Thibodaux, including the
Clay Knobloch Guards and the volunteers.
There was not q negro to be seen IN any di-
rection.
The excitement has to @ considerable ex-
| tent subsidized, and the leaders OF the rioters,
it is generally understood, have quit The
| country. At least they haye not been seen
| since the affair Of Wednesday. Thu citizens
are determined to preserve the peace and
have organized to that end.
1t appears that the trouble leading on TO
the riot Of Wednesday commenced about ten
days ago, when negroes fired on a white man
| named Theodule Battle, passing on the leyee.
Ballle is a sugar boiler, and he was fired upon
a mile below town. There was some firing
also on Lewis Guion's sugar-house, in which
quite a number Of white men were lodged.
Several shots were fred ut white laborers on
the Leighton plantation, and the overseer
was struck in the face by small shot, but
fortunately not seriously injured. Between
Thibodaux and Houma hands under a
sheds were fred upon.
Indeed things had got to such a point that
citizens were afraid to go out on the public
highway, for fear of being
SHOT AT BY R
in ambush. The Sugar Planters Association
OF Lafourche appointedD committee of five
to wait on the five men who were suspected
of being the ~instigators OF the shooting in
Lafourche. and notified them that their fol-
lowers must preserve the peace. On that
night shooting occurred at five different
sugarhouses in Lafourche, the parties being
In ambush, and on the succeeding night shots
were fired at three other su%garhouses.
The colored people, who had been moved
away from their respective plantations, and
who had taken refuge in the town of Thibo
daux, were being harangued day and night
for the purpose of inspiring them to deeds of
violence. Some of the colored women made
0 mnnit tRre daeIs against tb 5as t ReopI so snd the des sqm;
any house in the town. One could hardly go
on the streets without seeing clusters OF ne
groes at the different th~oroughfares, indulg-
ing in conversation that BODIED no good to
a few of the negroes boosted hat in case q
fight was made they were fully prepared for
it. Reports were frequent to the effect that
the negroes proposed to
MAKE AN ATTACK UPON THE TOWN..
and on Sunday morning it was reported in
the country that the negroes had assembled
on St. Charles street and were thoroughly
armed.
It was at this time that the whites saw the
necessity of organization for the protection
of their lives and property, and to meet any
emergency that might possibly arise out Of
the present difficulties. Hence 1t was that in
view Of existing dangers the citizens of Thi-
bodauX organized for the purpose OF NAH
aiming peace and good order.
On Sunday at B y. m. a mass meeting was
called and q patrol organized, with q view Of
stopping lawlessness n crime. A company
of volunteers was also organized to picket
the town. The pickets were located in every
portion of Thibodaux and kept up q nightly
watch.
The negroes we're repeatedly warned by
several of the prominent and influential citi-
Zens of the place that lawlessness at night
must cease, and that good order must be re-
stored and maintained. During Sunday
for any emergency. On Monday the negroes
were lnsoIent, sneer1ng at the soldiers and
citizens alike, and p~roclaiming publicly the
white people were afraid to fire on them, and
prepared. Monday night some unknown
persons went into Franhlin's cofee-house,
where there were some negroes playing cards.
THE NKaRo MADE AN ATTACK
upon the whites, when f. ing vas commenced,
resulting in the shooting OF two negroes.
and died, and the ClaeE, Morris Page, went
to his home, painfully but not fatally
On Tuesdaymorning large crowds of white
p6OptGS p1dutGIb Gnu OtESfh, lEUE1 tu6 SUI
rounding country came into town armed,
and with a 6etermiprtion to maintain peace
and order. During the day the two Cox
b1others, who were reported to be the lead
and JAILED, the people being evidently deter
mined to put an end to future trouble. To-
ward evening the negroes appeared to have
been suhdued, and the people were led to be-
Heye that the trouble was happily ended, and
that there would be no further violence.
The night passed Off quietly, but at 5 a. m.
a guard OF five men, at the intersection OF
st. Charles street and the railroad, at the
squad of negroes in ambush. The wounded
men were J. ]. German and Henry Molaison.
German Was shot in the left cheek with Q
passed out through his mouth. When seen
this evening he was resting easy. but was not
permitted to speak. Mr.. Molaison received
four shots in the right leg, only two of
which have thus far been abstraeted. His
coat and pants were perforated in fourteen
different places.
MR. MoLAIsoN's STATEMENT.
Relative to the shooting, Mr.. Molaison
said, IN an interview with q representative of
THE TSIEs-DEEoCRAT this evening: II was
one of the pichets stationed at The terminus
OF ST. Charles street. My watch was from
IL until 8 q. m. We had quite q fire built,
but none OF us were near 1t at the time of
fhe. shooting. Myself, German, Anslett and
Gruneburg were fully $50 yards from the
fire, discussing matters and things. when q
shot was fired and German rolled over into
the ditch near by. German was shot about
a. m. | thought it was a pistol shot. Mr..
Marouge accompanied Mr. German home.
Both were gone about five minutes, when /
told Messrs. Anslett and Gruneburg to take
my place, as | wished to assist Mr.. Gorma i.
I had gone about Q yards from Anslett
The shooters were in ambush in a corn
field situated about 100 yards from the
picket lines, Who they were is not known,
except that they were negroes. Mr.. Molaison
is doing well.
When the fact of the shooting was made
known in Ihibodaux the citizens organized
for self-protectlon q company of volunteers,
proceeded in the direction of the negroes'
settlement and the former opened fire upon
the mol and searched their houses for arms
and ammunition. and in about twenty min
utes closed the affair. after having
CAPTURED A NUMBER OF sHoTGUSs
loaded with slugs and buckshot. Six negroes
were killed outright and four have since
died of their wounds.
The people of the own of Thibodaux and
the parish generally regret the necessity
deed they deeply deplore it, but neverthe-
less feel that it was necessary to take imme-
date and yigopous steps to eradicate an eUl
which threatened to destroy not only the
property OF a whole community.
Lieut.. Gov. Clay knoblocfTsS Judge Taylor
Beatty, Sheriff Ihibodaux, Col. /. d. Moore
and others who were seen express the deep
est regrets st the present condition Of
aings. and hopefor an early md satisfac-
tory solution of existing complications.
The planters whose places have been made
the sGene of trouble thus far are as follows:
G. Eagard. Claudet Bros, Ernest Roger,
the Guion plsce, David Calder's, Orange
Groye, Ilosclnir d Robichaux. John Z.
Moore, Jr., and Peter Bergers.
H EMBE OF THE LOUISIANA RIFLES,
who arrived yesterday, are Capt. C. Fl. Adj
ans, First Lieutenant o. T. Maier, Sec
ond Lieutenant ii. T. uyiatt, First Sergeant
e: J. Fellows, Second Sergeant John Duffy,
Rolling, and Privates Bonnecaze, Auth, Re-
maud, Fallon, Munree, Blaise, Calhoun,
Barba, Iongard, Viosca, Marks, Hart, VII
Ilarns, Hernandez, Falgo, May. Dowler,
noir.